Inking arrangement for printing presses



Sept. 28, 1943. F. w. HILL INKING ARRANGEMENT FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Aug. 2, 1940 INVENTOR. ZTEDEE/CK Wff/LL BY 0 m, M 9' M AT TO R N E Y5 Patented Sept. 28, 1943 INKING ARRANGEMENT FOR PRINTING PRESSES Frederick W. Hill, Rutherford, N. J., assignor to General Printing Ink Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application August 2, 1940, Serial No. 349,743

4 Claims. (Cl. 101-350) My invention relates to improved inking arrangements for printing presses.

In accordance with my invention, an auxiliary roller is positioned in contacting relation with the fountain roller of the printing press, said auxiliary roller being rotated continuously and being intermittently engaged by the ductor roller of said printing press.

Various other objects, advantages and characteristics of my invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

For an understanding of my invention and for an illustration of one of the forms thereof, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which: 1

The figure is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, showing the inking arrangement of my invention.

My invention relates to inkingarrangements of the general character shown in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,158,474 although departing therefrom in some respects particularly as regards the auxiliary roller utilizable for transferring ink to a ductor roller.

As shown on the drawing, F represents one of the side frames of the printing press, two of the side frames being provided and, as well understood in the art, serving as the support for the various cylinders, rollers, etc., forming the operating mechanism of the printing press. The side frames F, in their respective planes, comprise frame extensions f. It shall be understood that the disclosed printing press may be one which comprises the usual impression and blanket cylinders, not shown. Disposed adjacent the blanket cylinder is a plate cylinder I with which the usual form rollers 2 cooperate, said form rollers 2 also cooperating with the ink drum 3.

Coactable with the ink drum 3 is a ductor roller 4 mounted on a transverse shaft 5 carried by arms 6 secured to and oscillatory with a transverse shaft I. Carried by and oscillatory with the shaft I is an arm 8 having at one end thereof a roller 9 coactable with a cam disk I rotatable with a transverse shaft II.

The printing press arrangement described above may be of conventional construction and, in accordance with the invention, it shall be understood that any other desired form of printing press arrangement may be used in lieu of the one disclosed, it being important merely that the ductor roller shall be provided for transferring ink to some roller which is the first in the chain of rollers serving to transfer the ink to its final destination in ink-applying position.

As indicated on the drawing, the frame extensions 1 support a fountain assembly which comprises a fountain I4 containing a pool of ink I which, by a blade I5, is applied to the surface of a suitably journalled fountain roller IS, the supporting shaft of which carries a ratchet wheel I1 operated intermittently by a pawl I8 carried by an oscillatory arm I9 actuated in any suitable manner as known in the art.

In accordance with the invention, a horizontal shaft 20 is joumalled in bearings 2| carried by the respective frame extensions 1, the bearings 2| being adjustable from right to left and vice versa along the respective frame extensions f by screws 22 coactable withthe respective bearings 2 I, each screw 22 being supported by a fixed internally threaded member 23.

The aforesaid shaft 20 supports an auxiliary roller 24 which, by the screws 22 or equivalent, is maintained constantly in contact with the fountain roller I6, the screws 22 being adjustable so as to vary the pressure between the rollers I6 and 24 as desired.

In accordance with the invention, the auxiliary roller 24 is rotated at constant speed and, as herein shown, the shaft 20 may carry a gear wheel 25 which meshes with a gear wheel 26 carried by the shaft I. The gear wheel 26 meshes with a gear wheel 21 rotatable with the shaft 28 of the drum 3, the gear wheel 21 also meshing with a gear wheel 29 journalled on a shaft 30, and said gear wheel 29 meshing with a gear wheel 3| carried by the supporting shaft of the aforesaid plate cylinder I.

In view of the foregoing, it will be understood that rotary movement imparted to the plate cylinder is transmitted, by the disclosed gear wheels, to the auxiliary roller 24 and, accordingly, the latter is caused to rotate at substantially the same surface speed as the plate cylinder. However, the invention is not to be limited in this respect.

Accordingly, in view of the foregoing, it will be understood that the auxiliary roller 24 rotates constantly in contact with the fountain roller I6. Therefore, between the rollers l6 and 24, the ink is subjected to a grinding action and, resultantly, the ink spreads over the surface of the roller 24 as a film of desired character. In this condition, the ductor roller 4 removes the ink from the auxiliary roller 24 and transfers it along its intended path.

As stated, the auxiliary roller 24 rotates constantly. The drum 3, or equivalent, likewise rotates constantly. Said roller 24 and the drum 3 keep the ductor roller 4 rotating constantly in the same direction and this action results in a more even and advantageous transfer of the ink compared with the usual intermittent way in which ductor rollers are rotated.

While counter-clockwise rotation of the auxiliary roller 24 is preferred, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that said roller 24 may be rotated, responsive to rotary movement imparted to the plate cylinder, in a clockwise direction. This becomes practical, for example, when only slight pressure is exerted on the fountain roller l6 by the auxiliary roller 24 as controlled by the screws 22. When the auxiliary roller 24 is thus rotated in a clockwise direction, the rotative movement thereof is not transmitted to the fountain roller i6 by reason of the fact that the latter is subjected to a braking or dragging action, for example, as imposed by the blade l5 which, as shown, is blasted into engagement with said fountain roller l6 by the disclosed screw arrangement.

While the invention has been described with respect to a certain particular preferred example which gives satisfactory results, it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and it is intended therefore in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a printing press, a fountain roller, an ink-distributing roller, a ductor roller for periodically transferring ink to said ink-distributing roller, an auxiliary roller remaining constantly in contact with said fountain roller for transferring ink to said ductor roller, and means for continuously rotating said auxiliary roller by power derived from the plate cylinder of said printing press, said auxiliary roller being thus rotated at substantially the same surface speed as that of said plate cylinder.

2. In a printing press, the combination with a fountain roller, and means for imparting stepby-step rotative movement to said fountain roller, of an ink-distributing roller, a ductor roller for periodically transferring ink to said ink-distributing roller, an auxiliary roller remaining constantly in contact with said fountain roller for transferring ink from said fountain roller to said ductor roller, and means for continuously rotating said auxiliary roller.

3. In a printing press, the combination with a fountain roller, and means for imparting stepby-step rotative movement to said fountain roller, of an ink-distributing roller, a ductor roller for periodically transferring ink to said ink-distributing roller, an auxiliary roller remaining constantly in contact with said fountain roller for transferring ink to said ductor roller, means for continuously rotating said auxiliary roller, and means for varying the pressure of said auxiliary roller on said fountain roller.

4. In a printing press, a frame, a fountain roller, means for imparting step-by-step rotative movement to said fountain roller, bearings carried by said frame, a shaft journaled in said bearings, an auxiliary roller carried by said shaft, said auxiliary roller contacting at all times with said fountain roller to receive ink therefrom, means for adjusting said bearings in opposite directions to vary the pressure between said auxiliary roller and said fountain roller, means for continuously rotating said auxiliary roller, and a ductor roller oscillatory between said auxil iary roller and an ink-distributing roller for periodically transferring ink from said auxiliary roller to said ink-distributing roller.

FREDERICK W. HILL. 

